In an interview with French broadcaster TF1 on May 13, Macron discussed new Russia sanctions and stationing French nuclear weapons in other European countries as a deterrent against Russia.
Performing their song "Bird of Pray," Ukrainian band Ziferblat passed the Eurovision semi-finals on May 13, qualifying Ukraine for the grand final on May 17.
Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov confirmed that a Russian delegation will be in Istanbul on May 15 for direct peace talks with Ukraine. Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov and Putin’s foreign policy aide Yuri Ushakov will likely represent Russia.
The move follows Ukraine's ratification of the minerals agreement, deepening U.S.-Ukraine economic ties and signaling expanded U.S. involvement in Ukraine's long-term recovery.
"Ukraine has initiated a coordinated campaign to vilify Hungary in order to undermine our initiative to hold a poll on (Kyiv's) EU membership," Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban said.
German Chancellor Friedrich Merz warned that further concessions from Ukraine during negotiations would be unreasonable if Russia continues to attack civilian targets.
U.S. President Donald Trump's special envoys, Steve Witkoff and Keith Kellogg, will travel to Istanbul for possible peace talks between Ukraine and Russia, Reuters reported on May 13, citing three undisclosed sources.
President Volodymyr Zelensky said he will meet with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan in Ankara, but said both leaders are ready to fly to Istanbul if Russian President Vladimir Putin chooses to attend the talks there.
Ukrainian servicemen of the 55th Artillery Brigade "Zaporizhzhia Sich" fire a French-made CAESAR self-propelled howitzer toward Russian positions in the Donetsk Oblast on June 27, 2024. (Roman Pilipey/AFP via Getty Images)
Russian troops appear to be preparing for assault operations in the southeastern Zaporizhzhia Oblast, where "the enemy is amassing personnel," the Ukrainian military's Southern Command spokesman Vladyslav Voloshyn said on Sept. 28.
The statement comes as Russia continues to press forward on its offensives across the eastern front, primarily on the Pokrovsk, Vuhledar, and Toretsk axes in Donetsk Oblast, where the outnumbered and outgunned Ukrainian soldiers are forced to withdraw little by little.
Speaking on national television, Voloshyn said, citing the Ukrainian military's intelligence data, that Russia is massing personnel for what could be a new manoeuver in Zaporizhzhia Oblast, particularly near the Russian-occupied village of Pryiutne located on the border with Donetsk Oblast.
Voloshyn also said on television that Russian troops received 25 light buggies that could be used by small infantry groups for assaults.
"These are such signs of preparation for the fact that in the near future, assault actions will be carried out in the Zaporizhzhia direction," Voloshyn said, though stressing that it would require larger forces for a full-blown offensive.
The spokesman suggested that the potential operation may be Russia's attempt at improving its tactical position in the area, but “there is no talk of an offensive yet.”
The village of Pryiutne lies about 40 kilometers west of Vuhledar, a mining town that Russian troops have been trying to seize for more than two years. Russia has scaled up its offensive on Vuhledar in August, slowly gaining ground to encircle the town.
The defense of Vuhledar is strategic as capturing the town would allow Moscow to form the southern flank, which is needed as a staging ground for a bigger push onto Pokrovsk – a crucial Ukrainian-controlled logistic hub in the Donbas.
Pryiutne is located about 70 kilometers southwest of Pokrovsk.
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Chris York
